What is corticobasal degeneration?
Corticobasal degeneration is a condition that affects a person’s movement, speech, memory and swallowing.
What causes corticobasal degeneration?
Corticobasal degeneration is caused by the body failing to break down a protein in the brain called tau. A build-up of tau leads to damaging clumps forming in brain cells.
The surface of the brain, known as the cortex, and a deeper part of the brain, known as the basal ganglia, are affected.
What are the symptoms of corticobasal degeneration?
The symptoms of corticobasal degeneration differ for everyone and worsen over time. Usually one limb is affected first and then the condition spreads to other parts of the body.
Possible symptoms include:
- Difficulty controlling a limb on one side of the body
- Stiff muscles
- Involuntary movements such as shaking, jerking and spasms
- Problems with balance and coordination
- Slow, slurred speech that takes effort to produce
- Dementia symptoms
- Difficulty swallowing
